<p>Microencapsulation is a strategy for improving the viability of probiotics within the gastrointestinal environment. In this study, Encapsulation of <i>Bifidobacterium bifidum (BB-12)</i> using sodium alginate (SA) and sodium caseinate (SC) at single and three combined concentration levels was carried out to enhance its gastrointestinal stability, considering the well-documented functional benefits of <i>B. bifidum (BB-12)</i> and the potential gut-supportive properties and a synergistic protective matrix of the encapsulating biopolymers. Morphological characteristics and viability under simulated gastrointestinal conditions were compared between microencapsulated and free cells. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed sufficiently spherical and smooth morphology, with particle sizes ranging between 103.56 and 184.66&#xa0;μm and zeta potential between −10.36 and −20.83&#xa0;mV. SA microcapsules (B-SA) had the smallest particle size, and SC microcapsules (B-SC) had the highest negative zeta potential. The encapsulation efficiency was 83.96- 96.87 percent<b>,</b> with cell viability between 9.14 and 10.54&#xa0;CFU/g. The composite coating formulation 75% SA + 25% SC (B-SA₃SC₁) exhibited the highest encapsulation efficiency and probiotic viability. Probiotic viability declined over time in simulated gastrointestinal conditions. However, survival and D-value within microcapsules were significantly higher than free cells <b>(p</b> &lt; 0.05). The composite SA-SC microcapsules (B-SA₃SC₁, B-SA₂SC₂, and B-SA₁SC₃, respectively) provided the most effective protection. This study demonstrates that microencapsulation using combined SA and SC coating via the emulsification method can address the challenges of delivering viable probiotics to the colon while ensuring controlled release.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>